Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-03-25

NERS-BOId bSENT FROM IHE CI14
ALLEGED FORGING OF ENDORsERs'
NAMES, AND RAISING OF NOTES.
Last Friday, business circles were ex-
cited over rumors that the carriage
making firm of Clinedinst q Bodell had
failed, that the failure was heavily tainted
by fraud, and that the members of the
firm had left the city. The firm Is COM
posed Of Charles E. Clinedinst and George
M. Bodell, both young men from thirty to
thirty-fve years of age, of excellent par
entage and connections in Newmarket,
Shenandoah county, who left that town
eight years ago and coming to Staunton
opened carriage factory on Greenville
Avenue. They apparently had little CAPT
tai, but they were industrious ard close in
their attention to their business for sew
eral years after they came. The demands
on them for money to pay their workmen
on Saturdays caused them to realize On
their time sales at once, and they sold the
notes received by them IN trade after get
ting them properly endorsed. In that way
their paper became familiar on the streets
and the fact of their small capital. with the
additional one that they had payroll to
meet weekly was accepted as satisfactory
explanation of the frequency of It's appear
ance. On the announcement Of their sus-
pension and absence from the city, re.
preventative of the VINDICAToR inter-
viewed number of gentlemen who had
cognizanee of the facts attending it, either
as legal agents for saving the creditors, or
as creditors themselves. The following
intelligence was furnished by them:
About two or three months ago client
of the law firm of Hudson q Patrick hav-
ing several of the notes of Clinedinst &
Bodell in his possession, went to Judge
w. A. Hudson for advice about the SOL
vency of the signers. The Judge, who is
thoroughly familiar with the county people,
ran over the list and discovered that some
of the paper was bogus, there being no
such people as the signers. The result Of
his inspection was his advice to his client
to get out an execution at once. The ad-
vice was taken and the law firm was in
structed to take the matter in hand. They
levied at once for this and for other
clients and took possession of 80 buggies,
of which "A proved to be the property Of
the firm. They also levied for three others
of their clients and by it secured $1,000
for A. B. Lightner, less sum for another
creditor, and smaller sums for two other
creditors. Mr.. Lightner is secured beyond
any danger of loss. These Ievies took
place in January and February.
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS LAST WEEK.
On Friday last W. E. Craig, counsel for
Geo. F. Ellck, had recorded in the Clerk s
Office of the Hastings Court bill of sale
by Clinedinst & Bodell to Geo. F. Flick
for IL side spring wagons; 8 carriages; 2
tops ph@tons; side-bar Brewster buggles;
2 jump-seat rockaways; 8 extension top
phatons, and 8 elliptic spring buggies.
This to secure promlssory note of G. &
3. to Flick for the sum of So ,099 go, dated
January 31st, 1887.
In the same clerks Office were judg-
ments recorded which had been gotten
last week against Clinedlnst & Bodell by
Capt. T. D., hanson for the following par
ties and amounts: Empire Spring and
gear Co.. of n. Y, $50; L. & M. Wood
hull of Dayton, Ohio, for $1Os, and VAL
entine Il Co., of N. Y, for Sill.
There were also two judgments gotten
out last week by W. E. Craig in behalf of
Samuel A. W ilson against the firm for $2O6
and SIPS.
and county men hold notes of the firm ag-
gregating 81 900 on which the name of j.
K. McComb appears as endorser.
ISSUE OF BOGUS PAPER
The gravest feature of the failure and
abscondinR is the appearance of bogus
paper which is turning up. One Of the
heaviest creditors Of the firm Informed
our representative that few weeks ago
he inspected a batch of paper which was
submitted to him by Cl1nedlnst. Some
of it was clearly bogus. He at once &C
,cused him of the fact and G. admitted it.
SLOW long have you been doing this
sort of thing ?" asked the enquirer.
sTwo or three years. was the reply of
Clinedinst.
Have you never been caught at it in
shat time ?''
"Yes; we were caught four or five times,
but we always paid it up and got it
straight"
The same creditor met Ciinedinst at the
do
afternoon, the day that he left Staunton,
and said to him:
s'Hellof Are you running away ?"
Clinedinst replied that be was going to
see his father IN Shenandoah from whom
he hoped to get ST, COO, and was then going
over to see his brother in the same county,
from whom he expected to get $500. He
was not seen afterwards.
This gentleman says that for the first
three years after the firm came to Staun-
ton they did well. the two partners being
engaged at work in the factory. On the third
year the firm cleared 81 200. But later on
they did less personal work, commenced
buying western buggies for sale, and con-
fined their attention to it. Then common
sced the kite fying-Clinedinst selling the
paper en- the streets and through this
county and Rockbridge.
The charges of forgery are already num-
erous against the absent members of the
firm. Mr., J. K. MeComb, who never bought
any of their paper but gave them the help
of his name as endorser, says that of the
1000 worth of paper on which it ls said
his name is written, his signature is not
genuine on more than $4,000.
Mr.. &. J. Miller of Middlebrook. says
he endorsed note of 500 for them, and
that the note was raised by them to $125.